Matthew Ledrew's Blog, page 20
January 9, 2019
Prize-Winning author Nicole Little announced as ‘Dystopia from the Rock’ author!
Engen Books is proud to announce one of the exciting new talents in genre fiction that will be appearing in 2019’s Dystopia from the Rock collection: Nicole Little!
Little has steadily been making her voice heard in the Newfoundland writing scene more and more over the year, making her presence known at competitions as a force to be reckoned with, bringing wit and insight to every conversation she’s a part of!
Her flash fiction “Sweet Sixteen” won the June 2018 Kit Sora Flash Photography Fiction Prize, and she achieved third in the October 2018 Nightmare on Water Street reading competition.
For her talents, Little was one of only a select few gifted authors allowed two entries in the Dystopia from the Rock collection, alongside Ali House and three others yet to be announced! She brings her stories “The Market” and “The Last One Standing.”
Her first-published short story is available for purchase along with many other prize and award-winning authors in Kit Sora: The Artobiography, available now through Engen Books by clicking the button below.
Kit Sora: The Artobiography
A stunning, hundred-plus page hardcover collection of over 80 of Kit Sora’s most ambitious photographs, paired with short fiction inspired by the art by Canada’s best authorial talents. Includes stories by USA Today Bestselling Author Kate Sparkes, USA Today Bestselling Author Victoria Barbour, and Bestselling Author Amanda Labonté.
C$75.00
Twenty-Three other authors will be joining Nicole Little, Brad Dunne, David Rimmington, Heather Nolan, Gareth Mitton, Shannon Green and Ali House for the 2019 Dystopia on the Rock collection! We still have award-winning and prolific authors in the genre to announce! Who will join them? Stay tuned and Never Look Back!
For exclusive content and FREE books, be sure and check out the Engen Books Patreon.
January 8, 2019
Brad Dunne, author of ‘After Dark Vapours’ announced as introducing ‘Dystopia from the Rock’!
[image error]Engen Books is proud to announce that Brad Dunne, author of the 2018 novel After Dark Vapours, will be setting the stage as only a person of his immense talent can, by writing the foreword to the 2019 anthology collection Dystopia from the Rock.
Brad Dunne is a freelance writer and editor from St. John’s, Newfoundland. He began his writing career as an intern at The Walrus magazine and has published journalism and essays in publications such as Maisonneuve, The Canadian Encyclopedia, and Herizons. His short fiction has been featured in In/Words, Acta Victoriana, and The Cuffer Anthology. His debut novel, After Dark Vapours, was released in October 2018 to great critical response, mixing literary sensibilities with genre storytelling.
Twenty-Four other authors will be joining Brad Dunne, David Rimmington, Heather Nolan, Gareth Mitton, Shannon Green and Ali House for the 2019 Dystopia on the Rock collection! We still have award-winning and prolific authors in the genre to announce! Who will join them? Stay tuned and Never Look Back!
For exclusive content and FREE books, be sure and check out the Engen Books Patreon.
Gentle | Kit Sora’s Storytime
Lately there is a 9/10 chance that when I set out to shoot a 52, I have next to no idea what I’m doing. This particular week was an out of town wedding, and an early morning to get back into town for a wedding show on Sunday- which left me little time to think let alone plan anything. So naturally, Drew and I wander off into the woods with a fancy ass dress, a flower crown, 3 birds, fake blood & a spool of wire, hoping for the best!
Funnily enough, once I had cleared myself of the fake blood (yes it stains in case you’re wondering), we were heading back down the little path cleared in a field of yellow flowers talking to the bees when a branch hit the ground behind us, and I noticed a precious little chickadee bouncing from one low branch to another on a tree I was standing next to! He wasn’t shy or afraid, and carelessly danced about~
Had I found him earlier, perhaps I would have pulled out all my Disney Magic to convince him into a photo with me 
Kit Sora: The Artobiography
A stunning, hundred-plus page hardcover collection of over 80 of Kit Sora’s most ambitious photographs, paired with short fiction inspired by the art by Canada’s best authorial talents. Includes stories by USA Today Bestselling Author Kate Sparkes, USA Today Bestselling Author Victoria Barbour, and Bestselling Author Amanda Labonté.
C$75.00
Words © 2018 Kit Sora. Image © 2018 Kit Sora.
January 7, 2019
“Love in a Bottle” by Tish MacWebber |Short Story Winner
The dress was pretty, but not her style. She preferred comfort over fashion. Her hair was still damp. He had left her companions to assist with her preparations. They fussed over her hair, applied layers of makeup, and talked to her of the things which women talk about. Tips on how to make a man happy, and how to properly run a household. She would become the lady of the castle after the ceremony.
Tishlee barely paid attention. She longed to escape.
When her ladies in waiting completed their masterpiece, they made her stand and turn for them. “Beautiful!” They both agreed.
When she looked in the mirror, she saw through the reflection to the sorrow in her soul. She half-heartedly smiled and asked if she could wait in the garden. She wanted to clear her mind, she told them.
Alone in the garden, she hurried to the roses. She had secretly hidden a vial under a rock. Time was running out, and Tishlee was desperate to avoid the ceremony.
When he found her on the grass, he quickly removed the stopper if the bottle he was saving for her. It was marked with one word, LOVE. It would cure the lady of her lack of affection, thus ensuring her devotion to him.
As he poured the potion between her parted lips, he failed to notice a single tear fall from her eye. The love in the bottle would not suffice; it was no substitute for the real thing.
To read the second and third place entries and for more contests and opportunities, please subscribe to the Fantasy Files Newsletter.
For exclusive content, extra chances to win the Kit Sora contest, and FREE books, be sure and check out the Engen Books Patreon.
Words © 2019 Tish MacWebber. Image © 2019 Kit Sora.
David Rimmington announced as a ‘Dystopia from the Rock’ author!
Engen Books is proud to introduce one of the exciting new talents in genre fiction that will be making their debut in 2019’s Dystopia from the Rock collection: David Rimmington!
A Leicester England native currently residing in Halifax, Rimmington makes his publishing debut in Dystopia from the Rock with his tale of automation gone wrong in: The Ninth Wonder.
Twenty-Five other authors will be joining David Rimmington, Heather Nolan, Gareth Mitton, Shannon Green and Ali House for the 2019 Dystopia on the Rock collection! We still have award-winning and prolific authors in the genre to announce! Who will join them? Stay tuned and Never Look Back!
For exclusive content and FREE books, be sure and check out the Engen Books Patreon.
January 6, 2019
Heather Nolan announced as a ‘Dystopia from the Rock’ author!
Engen Books is proud to announce one of the exciting new talents in genre fiction that will be appearing in 2019’s Dystopia from the Rock collection: Heather Nolan!
Nolan is one of the most talented singer, songwriters, and photographers working in St. John’s today. In 2017, her poetry was longlisted for the CBC Poetry Prize. Her photography explores the connections between landscape, place, and identity.
Her short fiction has been featured in The Overcast, Secret East Magazine, and Wet Ink Magazine. Her first novella, This is Agatha Falling, debuts in March 2019.
Nolan brings with her her short story A Flood of Sorts, originally published in The Overcast magazine.
Twenty-Six other authors will be joining Heather Nolan, Gareth Mitton, Shannon Green and Ali House for the 2019 Dystopia on the Rock collection! We still have award-winning and prolific authors in the genre to announce! Who will join them? Stay tuned and Never Look Back!
For exclusive content and FREE books, be sure and check out the Engen Books Patreon.
Saviour | Kit Sora’s Storytime
STORY TIME! What you don’t know about this photograph!
Often times I’m fairly selective over what I share about the process of an image I create- Sometimes you get to see a sketch, sometimes a silly outtake, maybe a live video, etc. However it’s not often I share exactly what was happening while a shot is in progress!
For example! My darling Drew’s perfect expression- Those shifty eyes; He’s actually carefully watching a group of kids who came onto the beach! Naturally, one would see a mermaid and get super excited about it!.. but I was very topless! As for the rest of his face, he’s literally carrying the weight of what I like to call a manatee- We practiced this carry in our living room while I was wearing the tail! We didn’t however think to factor in the extra weight the water would add to the tail, or how hard it would be to stay steady while standing on rolling sand, with the water to our backs!
Camera was set up on a tripod about 15 feet away from where Drew planted a giant rock! Rock was Drew’s marker for where he had to stand. I set the focus manually while he was standing in the water getting his pants wet, and kept it on manual so when I fired my trigger, it wouldn’t refocus. Trigger is of course in my arm hidden behind Drew’s back.
This shot took 4 different attempts to nail down- Usually I can either get up to go check my camera, or Drew can bring it to me so I can have a look at what I’ve done and what needs to change. In this case, the tripod was planted into the sand, and was set up for just the right angle with the sky/water ratio- So my darling boy had to check that as well! First time we missed rather miserably- nothing but the corner of a fin in the frame- so there were about 20 of those shots! Second attempt wasn’t bad, we were 5 feet closer, but still not right on. Third and forth we were smack dab in the middle!
For the record, beach was out past Placentia, water was warm, and yes, there is sand literally everywhere 
Kit Sora: The Artobiography
A stunning, hundred-plus page hardcover collection of over 80 of Kit Sora’s most ambitious photographs, paired with short fiction inspired by the art by Canada’s best authorial talents. Includes stories by USA Today Bestselling Author Kate Sparkes, USA Today Bestselling Author Victoria Barbour, and Bestselling Author Amanda Labonté.
C$75.00
Words © 2018 Kit Sora. Image © 2018 Kit Sora.
January 5, 2019
Gareth Mitton announced as a ‘Dystopia from the Rock’ author!
Engen Books is proud to introduce one of the exciting new talents in genre fiction that will be making their short fiction debut in 2019’s Dystopia from the Rock collection: Gareth Mitton!
A native of Rochdale, England who currently resides in St. John’s, Mitton makes his fiction debut in Dystopia from the Rock with his tale: Watcher.
Twenty-Seven other authors will be joining Gareth Mitton, Shannon Green and Ali House for the 2019 Dystopia on the Rock collection! We still have award-winning authors to announce! Who will join them? Stay tuned and Never Look Back!
For exclusive content and FREE books, be sure and check out the Engen Books Patreon.
January 4, 2019
Shannon Green announced as a ‘Dystopia from the Rock’ author!
Engen Books is proud to reveal one of the true talents in Newfoundland genre fiction will be joining us again in 2019’s Dystopia from the Rock collection: Shannon Green!
A gifted author with a talent for the strange, Green has been recognized in both the genre community and the contemporary literary community for his pursuits. In the past he has been shortlisted for the 1996 Arts and Letters Award and well as won the 2015 Audience Choice Steampunk Newfoundland Showcase.
Green received praise last year for his short story “The Wine Dark Sea” in Chillers from the Rock, and has also had short fiction published in Fantasy From The Rock and January 2019’s The Hamthology.
In Dystopia from the Rock he brings with him his new short story “The Schedule,” a stunning piece exploring how dystopian lifestyle can be self-imposed.
Twenty-Eight other authors will be joining Shannon Green and Ali House for the 2019 Dystopia on the Rock collection! Who will join them? Stay tuned and Never Look Back!
For exclusive content and FREE books, be sure and check out the Engen Books Patreon.
January 3, 2019
New Year’s Resolution: Go With the Flow | Dun Dun Dunne
Recently, I’ve become fascinated with the concept of the “flow state”; a frame of mind where you become lost in a task. Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi described flow as “being so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one…Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”
To be sure, it’s certainly not a new or novel concept. Throughout history, people like Newton and Michelangelo would become so engrossed in a project that they’d forget to eat, bathe, or even sleep. That might be a little extreme, but I’m sure I speak for a lot of you when I say that I’d like to be a little more focused when I sit down to write. I can’t tell you how many times a writing session has been derailed by the many distractions of the internet.
When I was writing my Master’s thesis, it got to the point that I’d write a sentence, check the word count, save file, then go on Reddit. After three hours I might have written 500 words. It was torture.
[image error]
The good news is that you don’t have to be a mathematical genius or a ninja turtle to achieve this level of focus. Ordinary people can hack flow. The important thing to keep in mind is that flow isn’t a binary state. We tend to have this idea that you’re either in the zone or out of the zone. But flow is actually a continuum and there are four stages:
The first stage is the struggle stage. You’re loading your brain with information. This is usually unpleasant.
The second stage is release, where you wanna take your mind off the problem. This gives your subconscious a chance to work out the problem. Maybe take a long walk etc. However, one thing you can’t do during this stage is watch TV because it’ll change your brain chemistry.
The third stage is finally flow. This is when the magic happens.
Finally, the fourth stage is recovery. This is also an unpleasant stage because all the feel-good chemicals that were released during the flow stage have burned off and you’re left feeling depleted.
Therefore, as Steve Kotler observes, if you want to master flow you have to learn to struggle and recover better. The struggle stage requires a lot of discipline. You gotta hang in there and stick with it. This is when most of us wanna check our phone for that little fix, but this will disrupt the neurochemical processes at work. Then, you have to develop a self-care routine to replenish your mind and body after that intense work.
Interestingly, the personality types that are best suited for consistently achieving flow tend to score high in extroversion and conscientiousness and low in neuroticism and agreeableness. For me, the last point fits into the stereotype of the “cantankerous creative,” which makes sense because if you want to achieve flow then you must be willing to ruthlessly defend your writing time in order to avoid distraction.
[image error]
When I started to get serious about hacking my flow state, I discovered that my focus had withered. I struggled to go ten minutes without checking my phone. It was a pretty depressing realization. I started researching techniques to bolster my focus and came across something called the pomodoro technique. Basically, the idea is to break down work into intervals, usually twenty-five minutes of focused work followed by a five minute break, and then repeat. (It’s called “pomodoro” because Francesco Cirillo, the guy who created it, used a tomato kitchen timer and the Italian word for tomato is pomodoro.)
I must say, the pomodoro technique has worked wonders for me. The first two sessions can be a little difficult, but I eventually become absorbed in my work and stretch the work sessions beyond twenty-five minutes.
Moving forward in 2019, I’m hoping to improve upon my focus and learn to consistently achieve the flow state. In order to do this, I’m gonna have to fully embrace my inner “cantankerous creative” and defend my writing time like Gandalf on the Bridge of Khazad-dum.
[image error]
Cheers,
-b
